Damask Rose

The flower of the Sacred Heart and of Sophia.

Opens the chest after long grief and reminds the seeker that beauty is also a teacher.

Botanical name: Rosa damascena.

Traditional planetary association: Venus.

Traditional elemental association: Water.

From the Sufi gardens of Damascus to the Marian shrines of Europe, the rose has carried the same secret message: that love is the highest law and the gentlest one.

Petals scattered before icons of the Theotokos; rosewater used to anoint the heart center; dried buds placed on the altar at the Feast of the Annunciation.

Cooling, gently astringent, and supportive of the heart and skin.

Rosewater is safe for most uses, internal and external.